Staff and Board
2024 Board of Directors
Patty Yu, MBA, Board President; Resides in Denver
Patty Yu is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Agilist with over 10+ years of experience as an IT program/project manager and software engineer. Her project experiences have ranged from SaaS to custom software development for a variety of industries like insurance, financial services, e-commerce, etc. I have managed projects for a variety of sizes (ranging from 4 to 45) within product development and IT operations for both mid-market and enterprise levels both nationally and internationally. Her software engineering background allows effective communication between business and IT for cross-functional deployments. Communication, leadership, operational efficiency and dedication are a hallmark of her projects. Patty resides in Denver with her husband and together they enjoy traveling the world.
Alejandro Rodriguez; Resides in Longmont
Alejandro is a bilingual Community Health Outreach Specialist of Mental Health Partners. With a passion for positively impacting the well-being of individuals and communities, he has committed himself to the field of public health. Armed with a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by diverse populations, he strives to bridge gaps in healthcare accessibility and empower individuals to lead healthier lives. Born and raised in Mexico City, he brings a cultural understanding that enhances his ability to connect with people from various backgrounds, facilitating open dialogues and fostering trust within the communities he serves.
Matheus Felipe de Oliveira Pagliacci, Board Vice President; Resides in Longmont
Matheus Pagliacci is the Music Director at St. Stephens Episcopal Church. Originally from Brazil, he holds a Master’s Degree in Music Performance - Jazz/Classical. He is the Co-founder of Mountain Time Music School and an experienced professional with 10 years in the music industry at an international level. Skilled in corporate organization, non-profit, small business, corporate marketing, business planning, public speaking, music education, event production and piano performance. He enjoys hanging out with friends, exploring new places, and reading.
Abigail Castro, MA; Resides in Boulder
Abigail is a Medical Assistant at South Denver Cardiology. With prior experience as a Patient Care Associate at Boulder Community Hospital, as well as a Spinal Technician for Terry Chiropractic. She received her bachelor's degree of Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder, and has the big ambition to one day become a Physician Assistant. She is a Colorado Native, and is fluent in Spanish. She has a passion for serving the Boulder community, as it has been the place she has called home these past 6 years. She has a big heart for serving underserved populations such as the homeless and the Mexican immigrant population. Working in healthcare has allowed her to connect to a different side of humanity, and be driven to meet the various multifaceted needs of others. Abigail also has served in other local ministries such as Younglife, and Annex Boulder. In her free time, Abigail enjoys visiting local coffee shops, playing soccer with her friends, spending time with her family, going on runs, or traveling to new places.
Maria Guardiola, Community Organizer; Resides in Denver
Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, Maria came to the States at nine years old when her father became a Statistics doctoral student. She grew up in Texas, earned her B.A. in politics in Florida, briefly (but memorably) lived among the Ojibwa in North Dakota, and spent four years in Australia, where her children were born. She brings her love of her Mexican and Amerindian heritage to her professional life. Pulling upon her own experiences as an immigrant and armed with an acute sense of the injustices of the U.S. immigration law, Maria worked previously as a paralegal in immigration law, specializing in Asylum law. In 2015, Maria’s son was diagnosed with Autism, which brought her closer to the disabilities community and led to her work with the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, where she has enjoyed learning and advocating for immigrants who experience major barriers to basic health services, and works with populations nearest and dearest to her heart; families impacted by disabilities, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and low income. Maria is a complete nerd for all things math and data, (pursuing a second degree in mathematics at CU Denver.) She enjoys cuddling her two beautiful children, Christof and Isabella, is always on the hunt for the best tamales, loves a good hike, depends on coffee, and is hopelessly devoted to her dog, Velma.
Marsha Ruggeri, Board Secretary; Resides in Lafayette
Marsha retired from Critical Care Nursing after a 37 year career. She and her husband, Jay, have two daughters. In her retirement, Marsha enjoys live music, playing tennis, traveling, hiking, and volunteering.
Stacey Kerber, MBA, Board Treasurer; Resides in Castle Rock
Stacey, a native of Colorado, is a Senior Transaction Analyst with over 18 years of analytical experience in commercial aviation, portfolio analysis, and financial modeling. She attended the University of Denver where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a minor in Spanish, and then completed a Masters in Business Administration. Presently Stacey performs complex transaction analysis to optimize overall business cash flows and returns for an equipment leasing firm based in Ireland. Stacey is passionate about serving in her community and personally connecting with individuals who are experiencing hardship or loss, and lack access to adequate resources and health care. She has enjoyed volunteering for St. Benedict Health’s Vaccine Equity Clinics and translating for Spanish speaking patients. In her free time Stacey enjoys spending time with family, playing the violin, and hiking with her dog, Princeton.
Staff
Shelly Dierking, Executive Director; Resides in Louisville
Shelly is a Health Educator and the Founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Patient Safety Education Partnership. She has more than 20 years of experience managing complex initiatives in healthcare quality improvement. She managed projects working with Colorado providers to implement quality improvement projects and participated on teams working to create healthcare change on a national level for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Shelly received her Bachelor's degree in Education from the University of Northern Colorado. A Colorado native, she is committed to education and efforts that ensure safe and adequate healthcare for all. She loves spending time in the Colorado mountains with her dog, Teddy, and with her family who live nearby in Longmont, Boulder, and Broomfield.
Nida Awadallah, MD; Medical Director
Dr. Nida Awadallah is an associate professor in the department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. In addition to being Interim Medical Director at St. Benedict Health and Healing Ministry, she works with the University of Colorado College of Nursing healthcare centers as a physician consultant and primary care physician; her medical practice centers on integrated health care and treating underserved populations. At the CUSOM she works as a faculty specialist for clinical remediation of medical students, residents, and fellows, where she helps learners from all backgrounds maximize their potential in their medical careers. Previously she was the Associate Program Director and Director of Education at the CU Rose Family Medicine Residency Program where in she was awarded the CU Dept. of Family Medicine Teacher of the Year Award in 2017. She is a graduate of the CU Rose Family Medicine Residency Program and Northeast Ohio Medical University. She is fluent in English and Arabic. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family traveling and exploring new places.
Bob Cutillo, MD; Clinic Medical Director
Bob is a staff physician at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and is associate faculty of the Denver Seminary. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and earned his medical degree from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. Bob later studied and served in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is an experienced educator, facilitator and author.
Matt Kapinus, Chairperson for the Contemplative/Yoga Program
Matt Kapinus has been teaching yoga classes throughout the Front range of Colorado for more than a decade and has over taught over 6000 public classes. He draws from a variety of lineages, teachers, and sources of inspiration. He is known for his articulate cueing, playful humor, and pleasantly casual approach to yoga in a way that is both knowledgeable and innovative. He is excited to be a representative of his home studio, The Yoga Pod, where he can be found teaching classes every day of the week throughout Denver, Boulder, and Longmont.
Ally Pachelli, MPH; Development Consultant, Resides in Golden
Ally is an independent healthcare consultant and entrepreneur. Her background is in public health and she has worked in numerous types of care delivery organizations throughout her career including: Fortune 500 companies, integrated health systems, digital health start-ups, and value-based care companies. Most recently, Ally helped two start-ups design, build, and operationalize complex care systems to treat high-risk patients. Ally’s work focuses on designing and advising on patient-centered care programs and helping organizations grow. She is on the board of the DAWN clinic, a student-run free clinic in Aurora and does grant writing as well. She is a certified yoga instructor and teaches children’s yoga and mindfulness classes.